Rotary switch.



' W. B. DOW.

ROTARY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1910.

Patented June 20, 1911'.

2 SHEETB-SHBBT 1.

. W. 'B. DOW.-

ROTARY SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 29, 1910.

Patented June 20, 1911.

2 SHEETS-MEET 2.

lll llT %TATE% WILLARD E. DOW, 0F BRAINTBEE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ROTARY SWIT CH.

Specification of "Letters latent. Patgyytggfl Jung 26}, 191,3

Original application filed September 13, 1907, Serial No. 392,797.Divided and this application filed Iii 1y Serial No. 574,465.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W'ILLARD E. Dow, a citizen of the United States,residing at Braintree, in the county of Norfolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Rotary Switches, of whichthe following description, in connection with the accompanying,drawings, tion, like. letters on the drawings represent. ing like parts.

My present application is a division of my application Ser. No. 392,797filed Sept. 13, 1907, and relates especially to a rotary switch foroperating at will an explosion engine either in connection with abattery and spark coil or in connection with a battery neto, whichevermay be desired, Without stopping the engine. In other words, by myinvention the operator can start the engine by actuating the spark plugor plugs at the start in connection with the induction coil and batterycircuit, and then, after the en'- gine is started, he can, by a simplerotation of the same starting switch, out out the spark coil and itsbattery circuit and cut in the magneto. and its circuit, continuing therunningof the engine thereafter in connec-' tion with the latter. Thisreatly simplifies the usual mechanism, saves attery consumption, andrenders special skill less necessary.

While my invention is especially intended for 'use with automobiles, itis not confined thereto. I

In the drawings, in which I have illustrated a preferred embodiment ofthe invention, Figure 1 is a lengthwise view of a broken longitudinalsectional view; Fig. 3

the switch looking down thereon; Fig. 2 is is an end view showing theoperating handle and switch plate, and parts visible externally of theapparatus; Fig. lis an end view of the apparatus viewed from its innerend 'opppsite Fig.3; Figs.5 and 6 are cr0ss;sectional views 55\ Fig. 2and 6'--6 Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic View illustrating theconnect-lons; and

Fig. 8 is adiagrammatic view showing the further use of the invention.

The simplicity and compactness of the switch areamong its importantadvantages. In a barrel or insulating tube 1 is mounted an insulatingturnable member 2, said barrel or cylinder being provided withstationary contact posts 3, 4c, 5. The switch is preferably long andprovided with a plu-f is a specificataken respectively on thelinesrality of these groups of posts to cooperate respectively with acorresponding plurality of spark plugs of a multi-cylinder engine, theconstruction of the switch being such that it can be practically anylength as to accommodate practically any number of groups or sets ofthese posts according to the requirements of any given engine or use.Cooperating with the external posts 3, at, 5, are contacts 6, 7 in theturnable member 2, arranged at right angles to each other as shown bestin Fig. 6. In order that the external and internal contacts may makecloseperfect contact, they are made relatively yielding, the internalcontacts being herein shown ascomposed of carbon. plugs 8 held outwardlyby a spring or springs 9 in tubes 10, 11. .The carbon plugs areexceedingly durable, and the construction shown also has the merit ofbeing inexpensive and simple to make and to put together. The posts arepreferably provided with. a groove 12 and" thumb nut 13 to accommodatethe switch to different kinds of terminal. clips.

At its front end the turnable member 2 is provided with a projectingaxle l l held immovably in the turnable member 2 by a pin 15, andprovided at its outer end with a handle 16 which swings over a faceplate 17 into the three positions 18, 19, 20, Fig. 3. Posts 21, 22 limitits throw and a spring-held plunger 23 Fig. 1 tends to hold the lever inwhichever of the three positions it may oc bupy. At its opposite end orinner end the switch has three stationary positions '24:, 25, 26,corresponding to the three posts of the handle, saidv posts beingmounted in an insulating block or cap 27 secured in position by anysuitable means as by the post 25 and a screw 28, which connect endwiseinto the barrel or cylinder 1. On the adjacent end of the turnablemember 2 is fast a contact plate 29 having a narrow end 30 and a widesector shaped end 81, and provided cent-rally witha postdike projection32 which extends through and bears in constant engagement with a contactplate or strap-33 extending from the" stationary post 25. At its freeend tltl 33 for maintaining good contact at all times.

The posts 24 and 26 are internally hollow and provided with springpressed beveled plungers-36 for maintainingnerfect contact with thecontact plate 23 being beveled to enable them to ride onto the plat-econvenicntly when the turnablc members turn.

in Fig. '7 l have .illus ted the munnrr ol use of my apparatus incoi'inuc ion with one spark plug :rring to the an engine. .l'le wiringand other parts shown ouigranunaiically, the contact 3 connects with thesecond ary 37 of an induction coil or spark coil, whose primaryi:8.connects with a battery :1 at one end and an interrupt er 40 at theother end on an engine ll. The contact -el connects by wire 42 with aspark plug in tor operating in usual manner a eylimler or said engineilhe contact 5 connects with the secondary winding a l of the armatureot a magneto 45. The contact 2 connects by a wire 46 with the battery39, the contact by a wire a7 with any suitable ground, as on the engine,and the contact 26 connects to the primary winding of said magnetoarmature, the armature windings on the magneto being suitably groundedin usual manner. Thus, by turning the handle 16 to the right, into theposition shown in the drawings, the spark plug of each cylinder will beoperated in connection with the induction coil and battery circuit, atwhich time the magneto remains inoperative, remaining short circuitcdthrough the ground wire 47, so that no damage can be done because of itsnecessary continuous rotation. After the engine has been startedproperly through the energizing of the spark plugs of its variouscylinders by the induction or spark coil or coils, the operator turnsthe handle to the extreme left to the position 20 Fig. 3, therebycutting out the battery and simultaneously connecting the contacts 4 and5 of each group of contacts, the result being that the charge continuesto be properly exploded by the energizing of its spark coils from themagneto. By the same turning movement of the switch the circuit of thespark coil is opened, rendering the coil inoperative by the breaking ofthe circuit between contacts 3 and 4;. In. other words, the switch cutsin the coil and cuts out the magnote by one movement and cuts in themag.- neto and cuts out the coil by a reverse movement. When the switchis moved to the middle point 19 Fig. 3 both the magneto and coil are cutout, as the end 30 of the con.- tact 29 is thrown out of connection withthe contact 24; but the sector end 31 of said contact 29 continues toshort circuit the primary ol the magneto, so that the latter is renderedinoperative.

It will beunderstood that I have omitted various usual details as to thetiming of the circuit, etc, as my invention. does not reside in theparticular arrangement oi engine or circuit closer or magneto or coil.it will also be understood thatI have not attcn'ipted in the winding:tor

the diagram, 7, to show sea r221 a multi-cylinder engine but only forone cylinder of an engine, it being understood that for operating amulti-cylindcr engine the currentfrom the mz'igneto will usually bedistributed to the different posts 5 by a suitable comnuitator ordistributor, the same provision being preferably made in connection withthe induction coil or spark coil, although preferably a separate coil isused for each spark plug. By my construction of switch, it will readilybe seen that any number of spark plugs may readily be accommodated,inasmuch as the switch may be made as long or as short as desired, withas many groups of contacts as may be necessary. Also it is equallysatisfactory when operated with a single coil and a single magneto, asillustrated in Fig. 8, in which a wire 49 is shown leading to adistributor 50 for operating successively the spark contacts 51 fromeither the magneto 45 or the induction apparatus 52 (as alreadydescribed).

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Le a tors latent'is,

1. .ln an apparatus of the kind described, a switch, comprising astationary member and a movable member, three related terminals in fixedrelation to said stationary member, connecting means carried by themovable member t'or closing the circuit between two of said contacts orbetween all three as desired or breaking said circuit, and independentcontacts and connecting means also carried by said movable andstationary members for connecting the independent contacts for a givencircuit when said first mentioned two contacts are in circuit clos ingrelation and for connecting the independent contacts lor a differentcircuit when said. connecting means is in circuit breaking position.

2. In an apparatus of the kind described, a switch, comprising aturnable member, contact-s movable therewith, and cooperating stationaryterminals, said movable contacts including means for cooperating withthree of said terminals'to connect, two thereof upon turning into oneposition and all three thereof upon turning into another position and todisconnect them when in a third position, and said movable contacts alsoineluding means insulated from the first mentioned means and from saidthree terminals for connecting others of the stationary terminals fortwo separate circuits respectively when the turnable member is moved LOthe sccond'and third of said three respective positions.

3. In an apparatus of the kind described, a switch, comprising a tubularmember, a lurnable member axially movable therein, three stationaryterminals at one end of said tubular member, a transverse contact at theend of the turnable member capable of 0011- necting in circuit two ofsaid stationary terminals in one position and all three thereof inanother position and. of disconnecting them in a third position, threeradially arranged contacts in said stationary member insulated from thepreviously mentioned contacts for two independent circuits, and circuitclosing means mounted on said turnable member for connecting two of saidradial contacts for one of said circuits when the turnable member is inone of said positions and for connecting another two of said radialcontacts for the other of said circuits when the turnable member is inanother of said positions.

4. In an apparatus of the kind described, a switch, having a tube, aturnable member fitting snugly therein, radial terminals in said tube,and spring projected connected contacts in said rotary member for makingcontact with said radial terminals on rotation of the turnable member.

In an apparatus of the kind described, a switch, having a tube, aturnable member fitting snugly therein, radial terminals in' said tube,and spring projected connected contacts in said turnablc member formaking contact with said radial terminals on rotation of the turfiablemember, each of said contacts consisting of a radial tube, a coiledspring therein, and a carbon plug supported in the outer end of the tubeon said spring.

6. In an apparatus of the kind described, a switch, having a tube, aturnable member 1 fitting snugly within said tube, a plurality oflongitudinal series of radial terminals similarly spaced lengthwise andcircumferentially about said. tube, and spring actuated contacts mountedin pairs insaid turnable member to connect simultaneously correspondingterminals of two of said series in pairs throughout the length of theseries, turning of the turnable member automatically cutting out thecontacts of one series and cutting in the contacts cit another series.

7! In an apparatus of the kind described, a switch, having a cylindricalmember closed at its end, a turnable member fitting therein, threeterminals mounted in said closed end, a bridging contact mountedacr'ossthe end of the turnable member, one of said terminals being incontinuous contact with said bridging contact and the other two or saidterminals having spring projected ends to ride up on the opposite endsof the bridging contact when the turnable member is turned, said twoterminals and the bridge contact having such shape and position as toconnect one or both of said terminals with the third according to theposition. of the turnable member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLARD E, DOlV.

\Vitnesses Gro. H. MAXWELL, \V. J SPALDING.

